The latest preview build comes with a new feature

May 12, 2022 18:10 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft’s latest preview build for the Dev channel in the Windows Insider program comes with support for a feature called suggested actions.

The purpose of this feature is as simple as it could be: once certain content is selected, Windows 11 can suggest a series of actions that can be performed faster.

For example, when you select a phone number (just like you select any piece of text on Windows), the operating system brings up a small popup to initiate a call.

“Windows Insiders can try out a new feature in this build for making everyday tasks quicker in Windows 11 through inline suggested actions. When you copy a date, time, or phone number, Windows will suggest actions relevant to you such as creating calendar events or making phone calls with your favorite apps,” Microsoft explains.

“On copying a phone number, Windows will pop up an inline light dismissible UI that suggests ways to call the phone number using Teams or other installed apps that offer click-to-dial call functions. On copying a date and/or time, Windows will pop up an inline light dismissible UI that suggests creating the event using supported calendar apps. Upon user selection of preference, the app is launched with its corresponding calendar event creation page with auto filled date and/or time.”

Still in the works

Obviously, the development of suggested actions is still in its early days, so there’s no guarantee that this feature would make its way to users anytime soon.

In fact, there’s no guarantee it would make its way to production builds in the first builds, as the ideas that Microsoft is testing in the Dev channel don’t have a specific release date. The company says the Dev channel is mainly used for experimenting with new features that could eventually be dropped before a potential public release.